Two oxygen tanks for the aircraft that fly search and rescue from Kodiak

The Coast Guard posted a notice Sept. 4 saying it intended to award a sole-source contract for two liquid oxygen tanks at Air Station Kodiak, and that other companies could submit their qualifications until 1 pm Sept. 11. It signed the purchase order with Airgas on Sept. 9.

The contract is worth $218,718 and runs through Dec. 15. The tanks are two 1,500-gallon units that supply oxygen for aircrews on the station's five HC-130J search planes and six MH-60T helicopters, which fly long-range rescue missions at altitude across the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.

The notice said Airgas had been identified through site surveys and installation assessments already done, and that the award would maintain continuity of oxygen storage. It stated in capital letters that it was not a request for competitive quotes. The record lists one offer.

Whether anyone responded to the notice in the two days after the contract was signed, and what the Coast Guard would have done with a response, is not in the record. Neither is whether the tanks replace existing capacity or add to it.